Three new picks complete PIAA board

Paul Brescia
| Oct 19, 2018

Richard Celarc, Theo Pettaras, and Tom Eckersley join the PIAA board

Richard Celarc, Tom Eckersley, and Theo Pettaras are set to join the PIAA board, as it completes its succession planning, first started with the appointment of John Georgantzakos earlier this year, and continued with Sarah Leo taking the South Australia position.

Andrew Macaulay, CEO, PIAA, says, "Modern organisations are expected to have succession planning, and this is a process the PIAA has been undergoing, under the direction of Walter Kuhn, as it sought a younger, energised board that can take the industry forward."

Theo Pettaras, owner, Digitalpress, and incoming NSW board member, PIAA, says, “I am proud of the opportunity to be elected on the national board. I think with my experience and enthusiasm, I can make a significant difference. I think I have a lot of contacts in the industry and I want to reach out to every one of them and tell them how important print is.

“I want to unite us all as a print community, to start engaging with each other, talking about our hardships and discussing things openly. I think education is important, I want to bring out influential speakers to talk on things us printers can learn, such as trends that are happening overseas or new markets we can look into.”

Tom Eckersley, managing director, Eckersley Group, says, “I have always been involved in the PIAA, we used to have regional councils before board members, and thought it was the appropriate time to re-engage considering some of the changes the industry is working through.

“We are in a world of change, and I take the view that we can help influence and navigate through that change.

“First I want to get an understanding of the challenges that faced the previous board, then positively influence that with my input.

“We need to unite the various factions of our industry as much as we can. We need to come to terms in a more holistic way with the challenges that are facing us, from a consumer and supplier point of view.

“Profitable sustainability is not a dirty word, we need to continue to focus on that, and keep that in mind in everything that we do.”

Eckersley says that although each state faces common challenges, there are differences with the way state-based education bodies deliver print training.

He says, “Each state has a common challenge within training forums, but each are unique as they are delivered through state organisations. The deployment and government interaction around this is different in each state, even though they are common objectives.

“I am looking forward to getting into the thick of things, help promote growth and better the industry.”